Taiwan underground threat made to deter Swiss delegation visit: report

A general view of the city of Taipei. Keystone / David Chang

Threats have been made against the Taipei underground system in an apparent bid to deter Swiss parliamentarians from visiting, the Swiss German-language weekly SonntagsBlick reports.

Swiss parliamentarians are due to arrive in the Taiwanese capital on Sunday. The identity of the individuals behind the threat is currently unknown, according to the newspaper. But they explicitly demanded the Swiss delegation cancels its visit, stating that otherwise they will consider attacking the line connecting Taipei’s main railway station to the airport.

Security measures at the airport have been tightened and Switzerland’s parliamentary services have been informed, according to the report. Swiss representatives are due to meet with members of the Taiwanese government and parliament in a visit scheduled to end on February 10.

Switzerland does not recognise Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) as an independent state and therefore does not have diplomatic relations with it. But it still maintains relations with the Asian island state through intricate channels. Tensions between China and Taiwan are on the rise with some analysts fearing that China is gearing up to invade Taiwan.